Machine for performing finishing operations



L.-J. BAZZONI MACHINE FOR PERFORMING FINISHING OPERATIONS Filed D60. 15, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l May 1, 1934. J. BAZZONI MACHINE FOR PERFORMING FINISHING OPERATIONS Filed Dec. 15, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 1, 1934. J. BAZZONI MACHINE FOR PERFORMING FINISHING OPERATIONS Filed Dec. 15, 1928 5 Sheets--Sheet 3 Patented May 1, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR PERFORMING FINISHING OPERATIONS Lewis J. Bazzoni, Swampscott, Mass assignor United Shoe Machinery Corporation,

9 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for performing finishing operations, and is herein disclosed as embodied in a machine for bufllng such articles as, for example, parts utilized in the covering of wooden Louis heels.

In the manufacture of shoes having covered heels, such for example, as wooden Louis heels, it is frequently considered desirable to buff or scour the inner or the outer surfaces, or some- 10 times both, of thin pieces of material used in cov-- ering various portions of the heels, of which heel breast-covering flaps split from soles furnish an example.

It is difficult to handle pieces of heel-covering material because of their thinness and, when they are presented to the ordinary bufiing tool for a bufling operation, the danger is very considerable that the operator will hold the work against the bufiing tool at one point of the work long enough to cut through the material, particularly when the abrading tool, to obtain the best results, is driven at a peripheral speed of approximately one mile per minute. While, in the case of heelbreast-covering flaps of the type referred to, the

outer surface at least could be buffed prior to the I splitting operation which forms the flap, it is the usual practice to postpone such bufiing until after the splitting in order to minimize the chances of soiling the buffed surfaces in the course of handling. The bufiing operation is carried out by drawing the flap, backed by the sole piece to which it is attached, across the operating surface of a bumng tool. It should be noted that while this practice enables the fiap to be buffed after it has been split from the sole piece, nevertheless the bufiing must be carried out before the sole piece is attached to a shoe, because 'the convexity of the heel seat of a shoe would prevent an even distribution of pressure over the surface of the 40 thin flap. In order still further, however, to minimize the chances of soiling the buffed surface, it would be desirable to postpone the bufling operation until after the sole piece has been attached to a shoe. It will be seen, therefore, that the problem involves not only the handling of a thin, flimsy piece of material without cutting through it, but also in many cases the treatment of such a piece of'material attached at one end to the sole of a shoe.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved finishing machine adapted for carrying out finishing operations upon articles such as heel breast flaps formed upon soles of shoes.

In carrying out this object, the illustrated ma- 65 chine is provided with a member for supporting a heel breast fiap against the action of a finishing tool. This flap supporting member is adapted to be received between the flap and the body portion of the sole from which the flap was split. There is also provided means for effecting relative movement between the flap supporting member and the finishing tool to cause the finishing action of the tool to take place progressively along the fiap. In accordance with a feature of the invention, there is provided in addition guide means constructed and arranged upon advancing movement of the flap supporting member first to cause that member to move toward the finishing tool to effect engagement between the fiap and the finishing tool and then positively to support the flap supporting member to hold the flap against the tool as that member continues to advance. The work supporting member, as illustrated, is preferably in the form of a plate, the free forward edge of which is beveled to facilitate its reception between the flap and the body of the shoe part. In accordance with another feature, the work supporting plate is constructed and arranged to permit the flap which it supports to be given a feeding movement with respect to the tool, and pivoted means is provided for supporting the plate to allow the plate to be raised to bring the fiap into contact with the tool. In view of the fact that it is the general practice to provide abrading machines with an exhaust conduit connected to a suction system for carrying away the dust resulting from the abrasive action of the tool upon the work, the illustrated work support is included in the organization of the exhaust conduit.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a machine embodying 'the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1 as seen from the opposite side;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the machine illustrating the practice of the novel method of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view in elevation illustrating certain guiding elements shown in the preceding figures; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a shoe showing a finished heel breast flap.

The operating instrumentalities of the illustrated abrading machine are supported upon a blower housing 10 (Figs. 1 and 2) which may be mounted upon any suitable standard or frame. A main shaft 12 extends through the axis of the housing 10 and is carried in bearings which are supported by the housing. A rotary fan or blower (not shown) within the housing 10 is mounted upon the shaft 12 and serves to create a draft for the purpose, as will later be explained more fully, of carrying away the dust which results from the operation of the machine upon the work. Mounted upon one end of the main shaft 12 (Fig. 1) is a pulley 14 which is driven by a belt 16 which may be connected to any suitable source of power for driving the main shaft 12. The parts thus far described are similar to corresponding parts of the machine disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 822,154, granted May 29, 1906 upon the application of Andrew W. Rogers, and to which reference may be had for a more complete understanding of the construction and arrangement of these parts.

Formed upon one side of the housing 10 and extending upwardly and forwardly beyond the periphery thereof is a draft conduit 18. The lower end of the conduit 18 connects with the suction inlet of the housing 10, while the upper or forward end of the conduit 18 is flanged at 20 to provide for the clamping thereto of a hollow bracket 22 which-is similarly flanged and which is clamped to the outer end of the conduit 18 by bolts 24. The bracket 22 is tubular and constitutes in effect an extension of the conduit 18. The bolts 24 extend through slots in the above-mentioned clamping flanges to permit angular adjustment of the bracket 22 with respect to the conduit 18 for a purpose which will presently be madeapparent. This angular adjustment is effected by loosening the bolts 24 and by turning a hand wheel 26 of an adjusting screw which is mounted on the conduit 18 and which bears upon an abutment on the bracket 22. The above-described adjustment which is effected by the hand wheel 26 is for the purpose of enabling the operator to aline the axis of a driven roll 28 in parallel relation to the axis of a driving roll 36 to insure proper running of an abrasive work finishing belt 34.

The driven roll 28 is carried upon a shaft 30 which is mounted in bearing blocks 32 secured upon the outer end of the bracket 22. The flnishing belt 34 which is of abrasive coated paper or cloth is carried around the driven roll 28 and also around the driving roll 36, the latter being carried upon a shaft 38 having its bearing in a bracket 40 which is pivotally mounted upon a fulcrum pin 42 for swinging movement in a direction to vary the tension of the abrasive belt 34. The fulcrum pin 42 is mounted in a bracket 44 which extends upwardly from the top of the housing 10. Rigidly secured upon the bracket 44 are a pair of lugs 46 which straddle a central web portion 48 of the swinging bracket 40. A pair' of adjusting screws 50 having hand wheels 52 are threaded in the respective lugs 46 and bear against the web 48, thereby affording a means of adjusting the position of the roll 36 toward or from the roll 28 to vary the tension of the belt 34. It will be observed that both the upper and lower runs of the belt 34 extend upwardly and rearwardly of the roll 28. As previously stated, the bracket 22 is tubular. The upper wall of the bracket or conduit 22 is, however, cut away sufliciently to accommodate the lower run of the belt 34. The driving roll 36 which drives the abrasive belt 34 is itself driven by means of a pulley 54 (Fig. 2) carried upon one end of the shaft 38, and the pulley 54 is in turn driven by a belt 56 which passes over a pulley 58 carried upon one end of the main shaft 12. A guard 59 serves to prevent accidental contact with the abrasive belt 34, the guard 59 not extending over the belt at the work treating locality. V

A work support or table 60 (Fig. 3) is mounted on the bracket 22, in a manner to permit movement in certain predetermined directions normal to the axis of the roll 28. The work support 60 is in the form of a flat plate havinga flat upper surface, which may be covered with a layer of felt 61, and having its under surface beveled as at 62 to reduce the thickness of its forward edge 64. Formed upon each side of the under surface of the work support 60 and in planes normal to the forward edge 64 are downwardly extending flanges 66, which also extend rearwardly of the leading edge 64 and a short distance forwardly of the same. Parallel cam slots 68 are formed in the respective flanges 66, the major portion of each of the slots 68 extending in a straight line parallel to the flat upper surface of the work support 60 while the forward end portions of the slots 68 slope upwardly and forwardly to ward the plane of the flat upper surface of the work support 60.

Support for the forward portion of the work support 60 is furnished by a pair of studs 70 having a common axis substantially parallel to the axis of the roll 28, the studs 70 having enlarged portions 72 which engage the respective slots 68 with suflicient looseness to provide a running fit. The studs 70 are secured respectively in brackets 74 which depend from the forward portion of the bracket 22. It will be observed that the inner faces of the brackets 74 constitute guides for the outer faces of the flanges 66 and thus hold the forward portion of the work support 60 against sidewise movement. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the studs 70 are secured by clamping nuts '76 to the respective brackets 74, and the enlarged portions 72 are cylindrical and eccentric with respect to the body portions. Upon loosening the clamping nuts 76, the studs 70 may be rotated to raise or lower the axes of the eccentrics 72 and thereby to adjust the position of the forward end of the work support 60 toward or from the finishing roll 28. To facilitate such adjustment, the studs '70 have screw driver slots 78 formed in their outer ends. This adjustment enables the operator to accommodate work of varying thickness and also to obtain the desired pressure between the work and the finishing tool.

Support for the rear portion of the work support 60 is furnished by a pair of flanges 80 which depend from each side of the bracket 22 in planes normal to the axis of the roll 28. Forwardly and rearwardly extending guide slots 82, which are straight, are formed in the respective flanges 80. A bar 84 (Fig. 3) parallel to the forward edge 64 of the work-support 60, is carried by a pair of lugs 86 which depend from the under surface of the work support 60. Formed upon the bar 84 area pair of cylindrical shoulders 88, which travel in the respective slots 82. The inner faces of the flanges 80 constitute guides for the outer faces of the lugs 86 and thus hold the rear portion of the work support 60 against sidewise movement. Assuming the forward end of the work support 60 to be supported by the eccentrics '72 in the rear straight portions of the slots 68, and the eccentrics 72 to be adjusted for average conditions, the slots 82 are so designed as to be parallel to the rear straight portions of the slots 68. It is convenient to have the upper surface of the work support 60, when the latter is in the above assumed position, substantially horizontal. The slots 82, which are parallel to the rear straight portions of the slots 68 and therefore to the plane of the upper surface of the work support 60 for the assumed position of the latter, are therefore made horizontal. By reasons of the above-described arrangement of the slots 68 and the slots 82, it will be noted that in all positions which the work support 60 may assume in its movement, the leading edge 64 and the plane of the abovementioned fiat upper surface are maintained substantially parallel to the axis of the roll 28.

Work feeding movement is imparted to the work support 60 by means of a rod 90, the lower end of which is operated by a treadle (not shown), and the upper end of which operates one arm of a bell crank 92 mounted upon one end of a rock-shaft 94 which is journaled in bearings carried by brackets 96 supported upon the bracket 22. The other arm of the bell crank 92 is slotted as at 97 to engage the end of the bar 84 for imparting movement forwardly and rearwardly to the work support 60. A crank arm 98 (Fig. 2) similar in all respects to the above-described slotted arm of the bell crank 92 depends from the opposite end of the rock-shaft 94 and engages the opposite end of the bar 84 and thus assists the bell crank 92 in moving the work support 60.

A brush 100 (Fig. 2) is journaled ina hood 102 formed upon one side of the housing 10, and is useful to clean the finished work of any dust which may adhere to it. The hood 102 is connected to the intake opening of the blower housing 10. The brush 102 is driven by a belt 104 from the main shaft 12.

In the operation of the machine, the work is placed upon the forward portion of the work support 60, and the treadle is then depressed. The bell crank 92 moves the work support 60 forwardly; and because of the inclination of the forward portions of the cam slots 68, the work support is caused to pivot about the shoulders 88, tilting upwardly and bringing the surface of the work at a locality adjacent to the edge 64 into engagement with the abrasive belt 34 as the latter travels about the roll 28. The tilting movement of the work support 60 ceases when the horizontal portions of the slots 68 reach the eccentrics '72, and the further movement of the work support 60 is substantially tangential of the roll 28 and takes place substantially in the plane of the fiat upper surface of the work support 60. The action of the abrading element thus progresses along the surface of the work piece in a direction away from the forward edge 64 of the work support. The direction of rotation of the roll 28 is opposed to the direction of feed of the work, the rotation of the roll 28 being clockwise as viewed in Fig. 1. The abovementioned cover 61 for the flat upper surface of the work support 60 not only provides a soft backing for the flap F but also increases the frictional grip of the supporting surface and thus facilitates the feeding of the flap F against the rotation of the roll 28. By reason of the bevel 62 on the work support 60 a loose flap formed upon a piece of material may be placed upon the forward portion of the work support 60 while an end of the body portion of the piece extends below the work support. An example of a loose flap which has been treated by the machine is shown in Fig. 5, in which a heel breast flap F is shown as attached to a sole S of a shoe. It will be noted that the flap F as herein illustrated has been treated upon its outer surface and that this has been accomplished by presenting the shoe (or the sole S, if not yet attached to a shoe) with the toe portion toward the operator and with the heel portion beneath the work plate 60. If it is desired to treat the inner surface of the flap F, the shoe or sole may be presented in the reverse position with the heel portion toward the operator and the flap F folded over the edge 64 of the work plate 60. A slight bevel B which appears upon the flap F is due to the above-mentioned fact that the work support 60 is given a feeding or traverse movement with respect to the roll 28 during the upward tilting movement of the support 60. The feeding movement of the work support 60 continues after the tilting movement ceases, there being no pause or dwell in the feed of the work either 'at the instant of its presentation to the abrading tool or afterwards, and no opporunity is given for the tool to abrade a groove in the work or possibly to cut through a thin piece of work. The direction of travel of the abrading element and the direction of feed of the work support are both such as to maintain the thin flexible heel-breast flap taut on the work support.

It has been previously stated that the bracket 22 constitutes in effect an extension of the conduit 18. The purpose of this arrangement is to provide for carrying off the dust resulting from the bufllng action of the roll 28 and abrasive belt 34 upon the work. In order to carry forward the draft duct provided by the conduit 18 and the bracket 22 as far as necessary, the work support 60 itself constitutes a portion of this draft duct. The forward portion of the lower wall of the bracket or conduit 22 is recessed so as not to interfere with the insertion of the flap F; and the work support 60 slides under the lower wall of the bracket 22 with the rear portion of the work support 60 in telescoping relation thereto, the forward portion of the work support 60 thus constituting, in effect, a movable extension of the lower wall of the bracket 22.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine for finishing shoe parts comprising a finishing tool, a movable member constructed and arranged to support a piece of work against said tool and to cause the work to traverse the tool, guide means for determining the path of said member, and an eccentric journaled in said member and engaging said guide means for adjusting the path of said member toward and from said tool according to the thickness of the work and the desired pressure between the tool and the work.

2. A machine for finishing a heel breast flap formed on the sole of a shoe comprising a finishing tool, a member for supporting the flap against the action of said tool and adapted to be received between the flap and the body portion of the sole, means for effecting relative movement between said member and said tool to cause the finishing action of said tool to take place progressively along the flap, and guide means constructed and arranged upon advancing movement of said flap supporting member first to cause said member to move toward said finishing tool to effect engagement between the flap and the finishing tool and then positively to support the member to hold the flap against the tool as the member continues to advance.

3. A machine for finishing a heel breast flap formed on the sole of .a shoe comprising a finlshing tool, a member having a surface adapted to support the flap against the action of said tool and having a beveled edge adapted to be received between the flap and the body portion of the sole, and means for effecting relative movement in a predetermined path between said member and said tool to cause the finishing action of said tool to take place progressively along 4. In a machine for finishing a heel breast flap formed upon the sole of a shoe, a driven rotary finishing tool, a work supporting plate having its forward edge free for the presentation of the work to the machine with the fiap overlying said work' support, and means for mounting said work support upon the machine adapted to permit both a substantially tangential feeding movement of said work support with respect to said tool and a movement of approach of said work support toward said tool to present the surface of the flap to said tool, said mounting means being constructed and arranged to cause said movement of approach to take place in a direction having a tangential component.

5. In a machine for finishing a heel breast fiap formed upon the sole of a shoe, a finishing tool. a work supporting plate having a free forward edge adapted to be received between the flap and the body of the sole for supporting the flap, said work supporting plate being constructed and arranged to permit a feeding movement to v be given to the flap with respect to said tool,

pivoted means for supporting said plate, and guide means constructed and arranged to cause said plate to swing about said pivotal supporting means to bring the flap into engagement with said finishing tool.

6. In a machine for finishing a heel breast flap formed upon the sole of a shoe, a driven rotary abrading tool, a work support positioned below said tool and having a free thin forward edge adapted to be received between the flap and the body of the sole for supporting the flap, and means for supporting said work support for upward pivotal movement to allow the flap to be brought into engagement with said abrading tool to treat the surface of the fiap from a point adjacent to the heel breast line to a point adjacent to the loose end of the flap.

7. An abrading machine comprising a pair of rolls, an abrasive belt carried by said rolls, a movable member constructed and arranged to support a piece of work against said abrasive belt asthe belt passes over one of said rolls, guide means for determining the path of movement of said work supporting member, a common support for said one of the rolls and said guide means, and means for adjusting the position of said common support to bring the roll carried by said common support into parallel relation to the other roll, said common support being constructed and arranged to maintain constant the relation between the guide means and the roll carried by the common support for all positions of adjustment of the common support.

8. In an abrading machine, a rotary abrading tool, an exhaust conduit for carrying off dust resulting from the operation of said tool upon the work, and a movable plate for supporting the work as the latter is presented to said tool, said conduit having in one of its walls a recess to accommodate said work supporting plate, and said work supporting plate being constructed and arranged to close the recess in the wall of said conduit and thereby to co-operate with said conduit in directing a suction draft to the point at which dust is created.

9. A machine for finishing a heel breast flap formed upon a sole, comprising a driven finishing roll, a work supporting plate having a free leading edge to enable the plate to be received between the flap and the body of the sole for supporting the fiap against said finishing roll, 

